A UK international Development funded guidelines developed by Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) for the prevention and resolution of land conflicts between farmers and herders in Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Benue States.

The international group launched the funded guidelines in Kaduna, as part of efforts to sustain peace and strengthen security among the in the State and other three States in the North where there had been conflicts between farmers and herders.

Speaking on the launch, the Operations Officer of HiiL and guideline lead, Mariam Abba, said the guideline was developed through extensive consultations across affected states.

She said, ” it is an extensive research work carried out with stakeholders. We conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ensure that all perspectives were captured”.

Abba explained that the project, funded by the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING) programme, covered Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Benue states.

“We trained 2,400 persons across the four states, including 600 in Kaduna, and our expectation is to reduce the burden of farmer-herder cases in courts through mediation and community-based resolution,” Abba said.

In his address during the launch, Kaduna state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Sule Shuaibu (SAN), said the initiative is aimed at consolidating the gains recorded in tackling insecurity since the coming on board of Governor Uba Sani in 2023.

“You cannot talk about peace and progress where there are conflicts,” he said, adding that, “when this administration came on board, insecurity was the first and most important challenge we had to confront,” he said.

Shuaibu noted that the security situation has improved significantly, stressing that areas once considered unsafe are now accessible.

“Today, the scenario has changed. We have adopted inclusive approaches and early warning systems that are helping us address conflicts before they escalate,” he said.

According to him, “the Kaduna Peace model has greatly been very impressive to such an extent that neighbouring states now come to learn for us”.

Shuaibu commended development partners, particularly the HiiL for their contributions to peacebuilding in the state.

“We must appreciate partners like HiiL who have been working assiduously to ensure peace, unity and progress in Kaduna State,” he added.

Also speaking, the State Representative of SPRING, Barau Emmanuel, said the programme is designed to strengthen institutional capacity and build resilience among communities.

“The goal is to ensure that conflicts, especially farmer-herder issues, are resolved through peaceful channels and by strengthening trust in institutions,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the newly launched guidelines would promote peaceful coexistence across communities in the state.

On his part, a traditional leader, Isyaku Garba commended the efforts of development partners for embarking on “the launch of the guidelines and also ensuring that this become a reality”, while stressing that peace is possible when people agree to work together.